bohlman



E. A. BOHLMAN.

TELEPHONE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1913' Patented May 25, 1920..

2 SHEETS SHEET 1- E. A. BOHLMAN.

TELEPHONE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. I918.

Patented May 25,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STA' I ES ERNEST A. IBOHLMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO KELLOGG SWITCHBOARD PATENT OFFICE.

AND SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOI$ TELEPHONE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed May 25, 1918. Serial No. 236,479.

residing in Chicago, in the county of Cookj and State of Illinois, have invented certain,

new and useful Improvements in Telephones, of which the following is a specification. ,l

My invention relates to telephones in general and has to do more particularly with means for supportin the call bell box and desk stand of a telep ione or substation set.

The telephones now in universal use, known as the desk stand type, are electrically connected to the call bell box by means of a so-called cord, and generally rest upon the'subscribers desk, or in the case where the telephone is installed in a residence, upon a small table or stand. Owing to the fact that there is no universal place to place the telephone and, further, due to the size of the same, the telephone often becomes knocked over or off of the article upon which it is resting, thereby not only injuring the instrument but also sendinga false signal to the central operator. The bell boxes of the telephones now in general use are fastened to a desk or wall by means of screws or lag bolts, and every time that it is desired to repair the devices in the bell box or to replace the same it is necessary to remove the whole bell box from the wall or desk and in doing so the desk or wall is not only marred but a great deal of time is consumed in removing and replacing these boxes owing to the present means used for securing them to the wall or desk.

A feature of my invention is the provision of a shelf that may readily be attached to a wall or desk, for use in holding a desk stand telephone.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of a back mounting plate to which the bell box may be readily attached and detached, which plate is provided with an attachment or shelf for holding the telephone. r

It is the object of. my invention to produce an improved device overcomin the abovementioned and other undesira le features and embodying desirable features and advantages all in a simple, efiicient and economical manner, and to the accomplishment of this object and such others as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the novel details of construction, parts and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' For a more complete understanding of my inventlon, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters in the different views denote like parts, and in which:

F1gure 1 is a front elevation of the dev1ce of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a right side elevation of Fig. 1 showlng a telephone desk stand in position on the support;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of Fig. 1 with parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the structure;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of another form of my invention;

F g. 6 a right side elevation of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 1s a top View of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of Fig. 5;

Fig. is a sectional view along'the line 9-9 of Fig. 5, showing the method of fasening the shelf to the base; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view along the line 1010 of Fig. 5, omitting certain parts such as one of the gongs.

Referring now more in detail to my in vention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, it comprises a back plate 2 and a shelf 10. The back plate 2 is formed from a rectangular sheet of metal and is provided with a peripheral flange 3. The back plate 2 is arranged. in such a manner that a call bell box 5 may be readily attached to the same. The shelf 10 is also secured to the back plate 2 and in a manner to be hereinafter described. A portion of the back plate 2 is sheared or pressed out in the form of a triangularly-shaped pocket 4: to receive a dependent ear 9 which is formed integrally with the bell box 5. The bell box 5 is of a well known type, provided with a peripheral flange 6. This particular form of bell box is pressed out of sheet steel and is .one that has been in commercial use to a large extent for a long period of time. The said bell box contains the usual substation equipment, such as the call bell, a condenser, an induction coil, and a cord connecting rack. Allof this is well known and a further description of the bell box and its contents is thought unnecessary.

A pair of dependent ears 11 and 12 are formed integrally with the upper portion of the flange 6 of the bell box and are each provided with an orifice or openin The front wall 7 of the triangular pocket 4 is formed at a slight angle to the mounting base or plate 2 so that when the ear 9 of the bell box is inserted in the pocket 1, the

bell box will naturally stand at a slight angle to the back plate 2.. A pair of tapped orifices are provided in the back plate 2 to receive screws 13 and 14 which extend through the openings in the dependent ears 11 and12 of the bell box.

To fasten the bell box 5 in position, it is only necessary to place the dependent ear 9 of the bell box into the triangular pocket 1 and to then tighten the screws 13 and 14 in the tapped orifices in the back plate 2. Owing to thefact that the bell box normally tends to stand at a slight angle to the back plate 2, when the ear 9 of the bell box is placed in the pocket 1 the bell box is placed under a slight tension when the screws 13 and 14 are tightened. Owing to this tension, the screws 13 and 14 are prevented from becoming loose and. are thus held tightly in place. The shelf 10 is provided with a circular depressed portion 15 for receiving the circular base 25 of the telephone. The shelf 10 is also provided with a flange 16 which extends into a pair of wings 17 and 18. The rear portion of the shelf 10 is provided with an upturned flanged portion 19 in which is formed a plurality of holes or orifices. Similar .holes or orifices are provided in the back plate 2, and rivets 20 are extended through these orifices to securely hold the shelf 10 to the back plate 2. The wings 17 and 18 are each provided with an integrally formed tongue 22 which passes through openings 23 in the back plate 21. The tongue 22 is then turned over to securely hold the wings 17 and 18 in position against the back plate 2. The flange 16 forms retaining means for the desk stand 25, should it he accidentally iarred from the dished portion 15 of the shelf 10 so that it may not slide off of the shelf.

From the description, it will be seen that I have constructed a cheap and substantial base for supporting the bellbox and a shelf for supporting the desk stand, bringing about a combination of parts which, when 'assembled, produces ,a compact structure taking up a minimum amount of space and at the same time producing a neat and sightly structure. To remove the bell box, it is only necessary to remove screws 13 and 14-and to lift the bell box from its position.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 5 to 10, inclusive, I show another form of my invention in which a base 30 is provided, formed to produce a shallow box-shaped mounting plate, which plate is provided with two triangular-shaped pockets 31 and 32 at its upper end, the said pockets 31 and 32 being sheared and formed as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 1. In Figs. 5 to 10, inclusive, 1 show a shelf 83 mounted upon the base 30 in the same manner as previously described in 'connecton with Figs. 1 to 1, but in the present instance I show the shelf 3-"? fastened to the upper portion of the base 30. The shelf 33 is similar in shape to that described in connection with Figs. 1 to i. In the present embodiment, the shelf is inverted and attached to the top of the plate so that the desk stand rests on the shelf above the bell box instead of in front of the bell box as in Figs. 1 to 4-, in elusive. The shelf has a circular dished portion 34 in which the desk stand base rests and the said dished portion 31 is of a depth so as to contain the desk stand base and prevent disphieement of the desk stand in case of an accidental jar. The shelf 33 is also provided with a downwardly extending flange and an extended portion 36, the said flange 35 widening at the extended portion 2-36 to form abs 3? and 38. The extended portion 36 is provided with an angular extension 39 which is riveted to the base 30 by means of rivets +10. The walls 37 and 38 are provided with tongues 411 which extend through suitable openings in the back plate, the protruding ends of the tongues being turned over, the .aid shelf 33 being thus fastened to the plate 30 by means of rivets aflnnd the extended tongues 4-1. The bell box 5 which is mounted upon the base 30 is similar in construction to that previously described, but in the present form I show it mounted so that the gongs are immediately below the shelf which supports the telephone. Also. in the present form, the cars 11 and 12 are inserted in the formed pockets 31 and 32, and it is the ear 9 which is provided with a suitable opening through which a clamping screw 4-2 passes. the said screw 42 having screwthreaded engagement with a suitable tapped opening in the base or plate 30 to hold the bell box in place. The front walls 4-3 and 1 1 of the pockets 31 and 32 are formed at a slight angle and when the box is in place perform the same function as previously described. Openings or orifices are provided in the back plates 2 and 30 through which screws or lag bolts pass to securely hold the back plates to the object to which it is attached.

From the above description, it may be seen that the bell box is interchangeable and may be used with either base 2 or 30.

lVhile I have described and illustrated several forms of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact structure as shown, as other modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and I therefore aim to cover all such lllll changes and modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described including a mounting plate, a shelf attached to said mounting plate provided with a circular depression to receive a desk stand telephone, a bell box provided with ears, a, recess formed in said mounting plate adapted to receive one of said ears, and means for securing the other ear to said mounting plate to hold the bell box in position.

2. A device of the character described including a mounting plate, a shelf provided with a flanged portion and with upturned side pieces, the said flanged portion of the shelf and the said pieces being fastened to said mounting plate to secure the shelf to the mounting plate, a bell box provided with projecting ears, a pocket formed in said mounting plate to receive one of said ears, and an orifice in said plate adapted to receive screw means passing through a hole in one of the said ears to secure the said bell box to said mounting plate.

A device of the character described including a mounting plate, a shelf provided with a flange and with side pieces adapted to be securely fastened to said mounting plate, a circular recess formed in said shelf of a size to receive the bottom portion of a telephone desk stand, a bell box provided with dependent cars, a slot cut in the said mounting plate to receive one of said ears, and orifices provided in the other of said ears through which screws pass to secure the bell box to the mounting plate.

4. A. device of the character described including a mounting plate provided with a peripheral flange, a shelf attached to the said mounting plate, a circular depression ears for removably securingsaid bell box to said plate.

5. A device of the character described including a mounting plate provided with a peripheral flange, a shelf attached to the said mounting plate, a circular depression and a flange for said shelf to hold a desk stand telephone in position, a bell box provided with ears, and means for removably securing said bell box to said plate, said means including a slot cut in said plate and a screw passing through an orifice in one of said ears.

6. A device of the character described including a mounting plate, a shelf permanently attached to said mounting plate, a circular depression for said shelf to receive a desk stand telephone, a box holding telephone apparatus, dependent ears for said box, a recess formed in said mounting plate adapted to receive one of said ears, and means for securing said other ear to said mounting plate.

7. A device of the character described including a mounting plate, a shelf permanently attached to said mounting plate, a

circular depression for said shelf to re-' ceive a desk stand telephone, a box holding telephone apparatus, dependent ears for said box, a recess formed in said mounting plate adapted to receive one of said ears, and fastening means for securing said other car to said mounting plate, said box being removable from said mounting plate when said last ear is disconnected from said plate.

Signed by me at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 23rd day of May, 1918.

ERNEST A. BOHLMAN. 

